Showing results by author "Kenneth P Langer" in All Categories

The Tao Te Ching, or the Book of the Way of Virtue is an ancient and venerable Chinese text that may date back as far as the 4th century BC. Its simple yet profound words have been an inspiration to countless generations of artists, writers and thinkers; its ideas are so basic yet so deep that they can be related to most any activity or pursuit. Yet, its original audience was to the emperors of that ancient time and not the general populace. I, too, was inspired by the Tao Te Ching and wrote a set of aphorisms that would relate to our own postmodern condition and time. These words reflect ...

A Theory For All Music describes ways to more deeply understand the music of all cultures and traditions through the study and use of musical parameters. Book One defines the fundamentals of musical theory from music reading to chord analysis.

A Theory For All Music describes ways to more deeply understand the music of all cultures and traditions through the study and use of musical parameters. Book Three develops an understanding of the parameters of music and how to use them in a detailed analysis of music.

New ways to look at those old playing cards including symbolic representations, insights into tough problems, and even a few new games.

A Theory For All Music describes ways to more deeply understand the music of all cultures and traditions through the study and use of musical parameters. Book Four applies the tools developed in all three previous books and uses them to make a complete analysis of music from different historical periods as well as from contemporary music and music from other cultures.

Ten easy to produce and perform plays designed to be used as part of intergenerational worship services which bring to life important lessons about being together in community.

A Theory For All Music describes ways to more deeply understand the music of all cultures and traditions through the study and use of musical parameters. Book Two expands upon the concepts learned in Book One leading to the creation of traditional four part writing.

We are welcoming congregations. We say so on our church buildings, on our banners, in our sermons, and on our websites but does that message really ring true for visitors and newcomers to our faith and our worship services? Sometimes the building and the things and people inside that building can send a different message. What happens to a guest after they step inside is as important to the practice of hospitality as is the initial welcome. To be truly welcoming to people of all identities, backgrounds, and characteristics, a guest is not asked to conform to standardizations but is invited ...

When the erratic but brilliant engineer Ty is nearly torn apart by excavation equipment, it is up to his friend Zoey to rescue him. On board the first explorer sun ship, the Constantia, Ty soon discovers that the failure of the enormous machine was no accident. Meanwhile, on his home planet of Pa’Kevutu, a simple act of defiance turns into a large scale revolution that threatens to change the oppressive corporate governmental structure. Hoping to distract the people from the message of the rebels, the corporate executives send the Constantia on a controversial mission to find much needed ...

The church was once the place where great art was commissioned, performed, and displayed but Protestant churches grew out of the Reformation. The Protestants wanted simple services with little embellishment and that was the tradition the Puritans brought to America. That tradition influenced church liturgy well into the twentieth century but the times are changing. While reason may have been the driving force in the formation of early American churches, many people of this age desire a spirituality that is embodied. They want to express themselves emotionally as well as intellectually. They...

There is a world of fascination found in the deck of cards known as the Tarot. Nowadays, Tarot cards are often used for divination and books on the Tarot describe how to read and use the cards for that purpose. This book does the same by describing a unique way to learn the cards but then explores worlds beyond simple divination. The seven ancient "planets" of the solar system are used to help explore even more ways to learn, explore, create, and have fun with the cards. Specifically, four methods of using the cards are used. There are new and interesting card spreads, ways to discover ...

Comedy is how we cope with the absurdity of life. The person who cannot step back and see how ludicrous are most of the things we encounter in life is the person who gets mired and engulfed in them. Comedy lets us step back and see the whole picture. It reminds us of what is really important which certainly includes laughing and laughing often. These four comedies each take on several situations but exaggerate them until they become enlarged and laughable. To each are added an unusual use of standard theatrical tradition. A writer of one play becomes involved with his own characters. ...

Is it possible to be ethical without being religious? For a very long time, moral training was always a part of religious teaching. The idea was that the spiritual life meant not only knowing the divine but living out its principles. Soon moral and religious teaching became intertwined to the point that people believed a lack of spiritual training also meant a lack of moral development. But, ethics does not have to be relegated to the exclusive domain of the church, mosque, or synagogue. We can learn to live well together simply because we all want to coexist in a peaceful and kind world. ...

Somewhere in your house tucked away in some dark dusty drawer you probably have a deck of standard playing cards. You may have used them to play Poker or Bridge and thought that was all they were good for but that is true no longer. In this book are the directions and rules for more than 52 new and original card games. Why spend loads of money on specially printed card sets that are designed for only one game when you can use those old cards to play a wide variety of new games? Take a break from the electronics, gather the family and friends together, and try out some new and exciting card ...

Emergent Spirituality is a practical application of the theology and philosophy outlined in its predecessor book entitled “The Emergence of God.” After a review of the basic principles and premises of emergent spirituality this work introduces personal and group rituals, services, and practices that help individuals and communities connect to the rhythms of the universe and to each other.

Awri was a well-respected investigator who lived and worked in the big city of Yakrutich until the day he disappeared. Now his former partner, Chief Detective Exi, is searching for him. In partnership with her former nemesis, Kim, the two detectives follow the trail of a man who transforms himself into the harbinger of a rebellious philosophy that will one day influence the lives of the people of all the worlds of the Milleran Cluster. The events in this work take place between Books One and Two.

The important questions of life can haunt us–especially if we try to avoid them–but working to answer them provides richness and meaning in our lives. It is possible to live a life with purpose, a life aligned with nature and all living beings, a life that benefits ourselves and those we love, and it is possible to do all these things regardless of spiritual tradition or practice. Religion, relationships, information, and insights are all tools to be used but, ultimately, you are the builder of your life. No one will live it but you and no one else will be ultimately responsible for the...

Erut s a simple farmer who found himself forced into the military by the power-hungry Kevutians bent on controlling all the asteroids of a region known as the Milleran Cluster. He is shipped to the verdant planet Pa'Myshka only to be falsely accused of stealing from the fees imposed on the subjugated Myshkans. He escapes from his fellow soldiers only to find himself amidst a band of rebels known as the Sifuti. Ony'a, grand-daughter of Zoe and a Myshkan with some connection to the Sifuti, uses her abilities to determine that Erut is telling the truth when he says the only thing of interest ...

There are a lot of games that use a few dice but few games that use a lot of dice. Grabbing a big handful of dice and throwing them on a table, however, is a great deal of fun and the games in this book let you do just that. You can buy a set of forty dice at most game and toy stores and now you can use those forty brightly colored cubes to play a great many fun and engaging games together. This book and a few inexpensive items are all you need to enjoy some new games suitable for the whole family. Take a break from the electronics and enjoy some interaction with your friends and family ...

Turn off the virtual and return to the actual. In a world of virtual reality, virtual friends, and digital anonymity, there are still those who enjoy playing real games with real people. No matter how complex a video game may be there is no substitute for face-to-face interaction with friends around a table full of fun and playful game elements. And there is nothing more iconic to tabletop games than dice: plain dice, colorful dice, tiny dice with dots, polyhedral dice, lawn dice, and many other shapes and types of dice are an important part of the generation of chance elements that make ...